Although Hudson reached the upper river in 1609, Newburgh Beacon Bay organizers were fearful that they wouldn't be able to raise the $20,000 mooring cost to get the brightly colored ship for more than a week of educational visits by the general public and scores of school children and college students.

But they did what Hudson did — talk up the voyage — and backers of the upcoming visit got the money.

This is a key event, says a key organizer, Betsy McKean, because it kicks off the 2009 roster of local celebrations to mark the river's 400-year-old exploration and subsequent commercial legacy. Next year is Newburgh's 300th birthday.

"This is such a wonderful opportunity," said McKean, "for schools and the public to see what life was like on the ship."

Kids might want to know how this small — 18-foot-wide — ship made it across the stormy Atlantic before the invention of the steering wheel. Answer: With a joystick-type steering rig called a whipstaff that's got an unsettling delay between hand pull and rudder reply.

Where did his crew sleep? Did they bathe? What did they eat? These and so many more questions will be answered when the Half Moon welcomes school classes aboard Nov. 3-7.

Then, on Nov. 8 and 9, it's open to the public for guided tours. Public tours start at 10 a.m. and go to 4 p.m. It's $5 for adults, $2 for those 17 and under. Kids 3 or younger are free. "We tried to make history affordable," said McKean.

There's a tent on shore with a Half Moon souvenir area and various artisans' stands, vendors and performers.

This wouldn't have happened without the $8,500 generosity of TD Banknorth's Charitable Foundation. "We like being a good corporate citizen, and we're not only supporting education for the community but also one of our good customers (the City of Newburgh)," says bank Vice President Ryan Fohl.

"We couldn't have done this without TD Banknorth," adds McKean.

The ship is run by the New Netherlands Museum, a nonprofit that teaches 17th-century Dutch history and navigation, and will have a display of Native American artifacts and history at the Newburgh event.

"At that time, Native American society was very complex," said ship's captain Chip Reynolds. Expect to see him and his crew and the red, yellow and blue colors of the ship. The Dutch in 1609 wanted to show off their proud commercial ships, Reynolds said.